Curriculum
The goal of the MGH Child Neurology Residency Program is to train future leaders in clinical and academic child neurology. Our program provides extensive exposure to all the major subspecialties in pediatric neurology. The volume of our neurology service and clinics allows for exposure to a breadth of rare and common cases alike. Our structure and curriculum allow us to go in-depth on these cases-providing state-of-the art care while teaching around these cases.
Throughout the year, our residency maintains an active didactic curriculum, with several weekly pediatric neurology teaching conferences, geared towards residents.
Highlights of our program include our continuity clinic which allows residents to follow patients from the inpatient service to outpatient and establish more autonomy as they manage both routine and complex cases.
Pediatric Years: PYG1 and PGY2
The MGH Child Neurology and MGH Pediatrics Residency Programs have a long history of working extremely closely together. Our residents are fully immersed in the pediatric residency environment during their first two years. You will have the opportunity to be in either general pediatrics OR pediatric neurology continuity clinics. Otherwise your schedule is identical to that of your categorical pediatrics peers.
The typical standardized schedule for each class year is listed below. Each individual resident’s schedule may vary from the schedule of another by 2-4 weeks each year.
All residents are scheduled for 2 two-week vacations each year. In addition, each year all residents will have, on average, a ½ day of continuity clinic per week. PGY 1 and PGY 2 residents have a ½ day of blocked educational time known as the “longitudinal curriculum” that covers topics in ambulatory pediatrics and personal and professional development.
PGY1 Schedule
(both day and night rotations)
(Newton-Wellesley Hospital)
PGY2 Schedule
(both day and night rotations)
(Newton-Wellesley Hospital)
Adult Neurology Year: PYG3
The PGY3 year is the most clinically intensive year of the program, but some of our resident’s favorite experiences arise from this year. You can expect to learn a large amount of fundamental neurological principals while making life longs friends with your adult neurology colleagues. The year provides a balance between independent decision making and supervised guidance by the senior residents and attendings. We also ensure that you are never alone - there is always a senior resident in house with you and all decisions and procedures are under close supervision. The faculty are always available and incredibly supportive.
As MGH has a very large catchment area, quite a few patient cases will be unusual presentations (“zebras”) not seen outside of an academic quaternary care facility. The cases seen on our ward and ICU services are used for the CPC cases in the New England Journal of Medicine. "Bread and butter" neurology cases (demyelinating diseases, brain tumors, strokes, and seizure disorders) are also seen at high frequencies. Our residents come out of this year with the medical knowledge and confidence to easily run the pediatric neurology service as senior residents.
During the PGY3 residents maintain their connections to pediatric neurology through the weekly Pediatric Neurology Continuity clinic.
PGY 3 Schedule
Child Neurology Years: PYG4 and PGY5
At long last our residents get to practice pediatric neurology on a full-time basis! PGY4 is broken up into 4 months of inpatient consult services, 4 months of outpatient clinics, and 4 months of elective time. PGY5 is the year to finalize and develop your career path and hone your neurological skill-set. The PGY5 year includes 3 months of inpatient consult service, 2 months of outpatient clinics, and 7 months of elective/research time.
Inpatient
The inpatient pediatric neurology consult team is always comprised of at 1-2 pediatric neurology residents, 1 adult neurology resident, and 1 attending. Psychiatry residents, Harvard Medical School students, and visiting medical students frequently join us as well. These last two years are exclusively home call, on average every 4-5 nights during the inpatient and some outpatient blocks. Elective time is call-free. Post call residents go home after rounds.
Outpatient
We have an incredibly rich variety of outpatient experiences where you will see everything from bread and butter general pediatric neurology to highly specialized subspecialty clinics – including Angelman's, Ketogenic Diet, Neuromuscular, Movement, Tics/Tourette’s, Mitochondrial, Autism, Neurofibromatosis, Leukodystrophy, Sleep, Learning Disorders, and Pediatric Stroke
Electives
We provide an unparalleled amount of elective time. We believe it is essential for allowing residents to explore career interests and tailor training to your career goals. You have a total of 11 months of elective time- 7 months of which are completely free for you to choose. All electives are call-free. (Required electives are Neurophysiology, Neuroradiology, Psychiatry, Neurorehabilitation, and Neuropathology.)
We take great pride in the vast resources available at MGH and Harvard University, whether your interests lie in basic science research, clinical research, clinical education, advocacy, international medicine, or exploring a specific subspecialty. There are also specific electives required for graduation, including EEG\Epilepsy, EMG, Neuroradiology, Psychiatry, Neurorehabilitation, and Neuropathology.
Lectures and Conferences
There are ample opportunities to attend both adult and pediatric neurology didactics throughout your residency years. Lunch is provided at noon conferences for those that attend in person. This year every conference will have a link available for remote attendance. Most noon conferences are also recorded for future viewing. Below are listed the regular conferences, with pediatric neurology specific conferences in red.
Mondays
12:00-1:00pm
Noon Conference
Tuesdays
10:15-11:00am
MGH Pediatric Neuroradiology Conference
12:00-1:00pm
Noon Conference
4:00-5:00pm
Rosenberger Conference – Pediatric Neurology Case Presentations
Wednesdays
12:00-1:00pm
Noon Conference
Thursdays
9:00-10:00am
Neurology Grand Rounds
(Child Neurology Grand Rounds are held jointly and occur throughout the year)
12:00-1:00pm
Noon Conference
1:15-2:00pm
Chief rounds with Dr. Kevin Staley
4:00-5:00pm
EEG Rounds with Dr. Ken Sassower
Fridays
7:30-8:30am
MGH Neurology Brain Cutting Conference
7:30-8:30am
BWH Neurology/Neuropathology Conference
12:00-1:00pm
Pediatric Neurology Noon Conference
